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Reviewing Thesis Statements

This article discusses the criteria for strong thesis statements in literary analysis papers, including taking a stand, providing textual support, offering a creative perspective, answering the "so what" question, avoiding vague vocabulary, and working with a narrow topic. Examples are provided for practice.

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Reviewing Thesis Statements

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  1. Reviewing Thesis Statements Ms. Stock, AP Literature

  2. What is a thesis? • A thesis statement is your argument on a particular subject matter. • A thesis statement tells the reader how you will INTERPRET the subject matter under discussion. • It tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper • Is usually 1-2 sentences somewhere in the first paragraph of your paper. • To Summarize: a thesis provides a controlling idea that has universal implications through the use of an aspect of the novel and is thought provoking or controversial.

  3. Criteria for a strong thesis • 1. Takes a stand. The thesis statement offers an ARGUMENT, not an observation. • A Thousand Splendid Suns was written 2007 and looks at life in Afghanistan. • 2. The argument can be defended by textual support. • Rasheed’s violent nature is a result of his latent homosexuality.

  4. Criteria (cont’d) • 3. The argument isn’t evident or obvious. It offers a creative perspective on the subject matter. • A Thousand Splendid Suns demonstrates the grave effects that violence and war can have upon a society. • 4. Answers the ‘SO WHAT’ question—who, why, how??? Your thesis must justify why something is important and worthy of several pages of discussion.

  5. Criteria (cont’d) • 5. Avoids vague vocabulary, gross generalizations, and judgment/opinion words. • Good, bad, interesting, unique, perfect, terrible, wrong. • A Thousand Splendid Suns displays the evil nature of all men. • 6. Works with a narrow topic. • A Thousand Splendid Suns shows the importance of female friendships, while also chronicling the suffering of humanity and cautioning against the evils of men.

  6. Now Let’s practice • Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is the most important American novel to ever be written.

  7. TWO • The title character in The Great Gatsby creates a new personal identity.

  8. THREE • Edgar Allen Poe’s work was affected greatly by the current events of his life, covering his family life, his childhood, and his career; these events changed his style and subject of his works.

  9. FOUR • In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s attire symbolically characterizes him as an individual who “hunts” for truth.

  10. Five • The Sun Also Rises displays how masculinity can change depending whether who or where you are.

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